Love and Soul
by Anna Scathach
Summary: Ginny is happily married, but she has never seen her husband. Will she find happiness and love again when all is taken away from her? Inspired by the ancient Greek legend of Eros & Psyche. D/G oneshot.


_A/N: Voici my fic for Valentine's Day. Have a great day and just enjoy! ;)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, who is owned by JK Rowling, and the ancient Greek myth of Eros and Psyche. Sorry._

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**Love and Soul**

A Timeless Fairytale

"Today, I want to tell you a story. A fairytale, as old as time itself, yet timeless and forever young, tells of love and destiny. My story begins somewhere in England, when times were still so different from ours. It begins with a young girl.

Ginevra, daughter of Arthur and Molly, had six brothers. All of her siblings were handsome, but Ginevra was by far the most beautiful. In fact she was so beautiful that many compared her to Narcissa herself, the famous witch that was head of the Love department at the Ministry of Magic. Ginevra's red hair cascaded down her back in long curls, playing like fire on the flawless pale skin. Her lips were red like the cherries on the tree in front of the house, and her brown eyes betrayed a hidden depth, a wisdom that was unusual for people her age. And although she was rather small, her petite silhouette looked amazing, whatever she wore, because she possessed a natural elegance and an unequaled grace.

Strangely, all her brothers got wed while Ginevra remained unmarried. The eldest, William Weasley, married the gorgeous Veela Fleur de La Cour; the second son, Charles, a pretty countess; Percival a girl called Penelope of Clear Waters; the twins Frederick and George married the rich Indian sisters Padma and Parvati Patil, and even Ronald, the youngest, was already promised to Hermione Granger, daughter of an influential doctor. I must say that, although she had more than her fair share of admirers, no one decided to marry Ginevra for fear of her inhuman beauty. A vengeance of Narcissa? Maybe. When she was jealous, the witch symbolizing love could be very dangerous.

Desperate, Ginevra's parents asked the seer Sybil for help. How could they find a suitable husband for their beautiful daughter? But the answer was terrible: They had to clothe her in a wedding dress and abandon her on a solitary rock near the Southern coast, where a horrible monster would come to take her. Poor Ginevra, this was the husband she had been destined to marry? Reluctantly, but convinced they must obey fate's wishes, her parents acted like the seer had instructed them.

So there Ginevra was, alone on her rock in a splendid wedding dress. Waiting for the monster, she was suddenly picked up from the ground by a soft and scented wind that, through the air, carried her to an enchanted palace, made of gold and marble, surrounded by a garden with marvelous trees and soft grass. There, exhausted by emotion, Ginevra fell asleep, listening to the birds' song and the murmuring of the fountains.

When she awoke, she was still alone, but in front of her the gates opened and bodiless voices, tender and welcoming, invited her to visit her new home. Curiously, Ginevra wasn't afraid anymore. She wandered through the palace, accompanied by the bodiless voices leading her, revealing they would serve her every wish. For the young girl that had never known any luxury, much less magic, in her life, that day was an enchantment.

That evening, when she went to bed, she felt a person near her. "Don't be afraid, I am your husband," said a soft voice in the darkness, adding: "I want you to be happy with me, but don't try to see me or you'll lose me forever…" Charmed by the mystery man's voice, Ginevra accepted the nightly meetings and vowed to never break the strange contract. Plus, considering all she could perceive, the famous monster didn't look so frightening after all.

Not much time passed before Ginevra was expecting a child. She was very happy, but she sometimes felt a little lonely in that immense palace inhabited by bodiless voices and an invisible husband. Also, one night, she asked his permission to visit her family for she was afraid for them. Did they possibly think she was dead? Of course she wanted to announce the nearing childbirth, as well. After many nights of incessant begging, her mysterious lover finally accepted her going, under one condition: that she never respond to questions at his subject.

As Ginevra, carried by the wind, arrived, it was a celebration for the whole family. Her brothers, who had moved away with their respective spouses, came to visit her and seemed to be happy for their sister. But, in reality, when Ginevra showed the splendid presents she had brought for each of them, when she talked about the magical palace that was hers, when she smiled at the memory of her tender husband, they were jealous. You could ask: Isn't this once again Narcissa's work? In any case, thanks to tricky questions they succeeded in making Ginevra admit she had never actually seen her husband. Later on, her brothers reveled in that fact, told their poor sister her husband must be a terrible monster, a dangerous snake or an ugly nightmare who would devour her and her child as soon as it was born. Then, pushed by her brothers' cruel assumptions, Ginevra began doubting. She, who had trusted her unknown lover so entirely, now wanted to find out the truth.

On the day after her return, she rose in the middle of the night, lit a candle, approached her sleeping husband, and discovered… the most beautiful young man you can imagine: blonde hair that fell to his shoulders, pale flesh that seemed to glitter in the candlelight; the abominable monster was in reality Draco, the only son of Mistress Narcissa and her husband Lucius; the nightmare was in reality a wizard, that moreover, according to what Ginevra had heard, had the power to make people fall in and out of love, that was love itself. Shaken by her discovery, Ginevra trembled, and, alas, a drop of hot wax fell on the sleeping one's shoulder. He woke immediately; not even a look, or a gesture, and he disappeared to never see her again. Hadn't he warned her, though?

Young Ginevra, crazy of love and desperation, searched the whole world for Draco, her husband. It had been Narcissa who had planned her downfall, because the witch couldn't accept her only son falling in love with a muggle. And the other wizards, for solidarity with the ministry, refused to help the unfortunate young woman in her dismayed search. Ginevra's errant finally lead her to Narcissa's manor where the cruel witch imprisoned her. She made her suffer a million tortures and gave her work that equaled even Hercules'. One day, she had to a pile of grains that was as high as the barn's ceiling. Afterwards, she affronted the man-eating sheep whose wool Narcissa desired. Finally, she descended to Hell, where, at the price of a million dangers, she acquired a bottle of Pansy's youth elixir that the terrible goddess had asked for. But in every of her forcedworks, she was helped, not by wizards, but by the humble elements of nature: animals, plants, stones, that advised her wisely and thus helped her to escape from Narcissa's deathly traps.

But while she was returning from the kingdom of the dead, Ginevra couldn't resist her curiosity: what if this magical elixir could help her to find Draco? She opened the bottle and immediately fell asleep, so profound you could easily mistake the sleep for death. Draco who had observed the whole scene far away, his heart heavy with grief and longing for his beloved, couldn't take it anymore. He went to see the wisest of all wizards, a certain Albus, and pleaded to forgive him for falling in love with a mortal, successfully convincing him Ginevra had suffered enough. Skillfully he also persuaded the minister of Magic to accord his lover a wand, for he knew she would be able to learn a few simple spells quickly because of her long-hidden magical ability. Indeed, couldn't he legally marry her then? After a few arguments, Albus and the minister, Cornelius, were won over and pardoned Ginevra, promising to accommodate her among the wizards and witches.

Not wanting to lose even a minute, Draco descended to Hell and awoke Ginevra with a kiss from her deathly sleep. When he brought her to the ministry, his mother Narcissa forgot her anger, mostly due to Albus' presence, and accepted her son's choice.

All's well that ends well. Draco and Ginevra were in love, and they could finally show it freely. Soon later, their son was born, and they lived happily ever after.

And why did I tell you at the beginning this was a timeless fairytale? Simply because it is. Draco and Ginevra are but one couple in a tradition of many. The first story of fate and love told the difficulties of the god Eros and the mortal Psyche. But that legend symbolizes more than just a simple tale: Psyche means soul in Greek, and Eros means love. Their story symbolizes therefore the difficult alliance between the human soul and love, the only real condition for happiness. Sure, some are afraid of this happiness, for it can trouble the world's order, once it has been acquired throughout countless dangers and difficulties."

Luna Lovegood smiled at the young boy in front of her. "This, Scorpius, is how your parents met and fell in love, a long time ago when times were still different, back then when the Weasleys weren't allowed wands, when only the rich and fortunate could do magic legally. But despite all their differences, Draco and Ginevra, your parents, fell in love, and this is all that matters."

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_A/N: What do you think? Please let me know in a review._

_Anna Scathach_


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